‘Most bad hires are not accidents. They are the predictable consequence of a process that skips stages, applies them inconsistently, or treats them as administrative formalities rather than evidence-gathering opportunities.’
This assessment scores your hiring process across all seven stages – from application screening through to probation approval. On average, it takes a business ten months to identify a bad hire. By that point, the total cost impact – factoring in National Insurance, hiring and induction costs, training, management time, opportunity cost, and the negative effects on those around them – averages around 4.7 times the role’s salary. For sales and customer-facing roles, it can be as much as 15 times. A rigorous, consistently applied process is the most effective way to reduce that risk. Answer on the basis of how things actually are, not how you intend them to be.
On average, it takes a business ten months to identify a bad hire. By that point, the total cost impact – National Insurance, hiring and induction costs, training, management time, opportunity cost, and the effect on the people around them – averages around 4.7 times the role’s salary. For sales and customer-facing roles, the figure can reach 15 times. These are averages; the real cost in any individual case depends on seniority, how long the problem is left unaddressed, and how much management attention is consumed in the process.
From January 2027, employees in the UK have full protection from unfair dismissal claims after six months in post – down from two years. That makes a structured onboarding and probation programme more important than ever: the window for making a clear-eyed decision, and acting on it, is shorter than it was.
If one or more stages of your process scored in the ‘needs attention’ or ‘urgent’ bands, the most useful next step is usually a direct conversation about what is actually happening and what would genuinely help. Corryvreckan Consulting works with leadership teams on management and people strategy through bespoke training, coaching and consultancy.
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